Sport in Town: The Smart Healthy ENV Project, a Pilot Study of Physical Activity with Multiparametric Monitoring

Abstract

Background: Increasing evidence links meteorological characteristics and air pollution to physiological responses during sports activities in urban areas with different traffic levels.

Objective: The main objective of the Smart Healthy ENV (SHE, "Smart Monitoring Integrated System For A Healthy Urban Environment In Smart Cities") project was to identify the specific responses of a group of volunteers during physical activity, by monitoring their heart rates and collecting breath samples, combined with data on meteorological determinants and pollution substances obtained through fixed sensor nodes placed along city routes and remotely connected to a dedicated data acquisition server.

Methods: Monitoring stations were placed along two urban routes in Pisa, each two km long, with one located within the park beside the Arno river (green route) and the other in a crowded traffic zone (red route). Our sample participants were engaged in sports activities (N = 15, with different levels of ability) and were monitored through wearable sensors. They were first asked to walk back and forth (4 km) and then to run the same route. The experimental sessions were conducted over one day per route. A breath sample was also collected before each test. A questionnaire concerning temperature and fatigue perception was administered for all of the steps of the study over the two days.

Results: The heart rates of the participants were monitored in the baseline condition, during walking, and while running, and were correlated with meteorological and pollutant data and with breath composition. Changes in the heart rates and breath composition were detected during the experimental sessions. These variations were related to the physical activity and to the meteorological conditions and air pollution levels.

Conclusions: The SHE project can be considered a proof-of-concept study aimed at monitoring physiological and environmental variables during physical activity in urban areas, and can be used in future studies to provide useful information to those involved in sports and the broader community.

Keywords: air pollution; breath; heart rate; heat stress; microclimate determinants; multiparametric monitoring; physical activity; sport.

Figure 1

Fixed sensor nodes along the Arno River green park (green route) and along a crowded traffic zone (red route). Five nodes were positioned on the red route (nodes 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4). Node 0 was also on the green route, where two additional nodes were positioned (nodes 5–6).

Figure 2

Breath sampling system composed of (A) disposable mouthpiece, (B) non-return valve, (C) two-way valve, and (D) Nalophan bag.

Figure 3

Typical examples of EKG monitored during walking (A) and running (B).

Figure 4

On the left is the scatterplot of the significant correlation between data during running for the green route (RR interval and atmospheric pressure), and on the right are the significant correlations between data during running for the red route (RR interval and relative humidity, and RR interval and CO concentration). The scatterplots report the lines of best fit, the Spearman’s correlation coefficients (R), and associated p-values (p-value). The RR interval is expressed in msec, atmospheric pressure in hPa, relative humidity in percentage, and CO in ppm.

Figure 5

Box-plot of the concentration (expressed in pptv) of the traffic-related VOCs measured in the breath samples (n = 15 subjects) collected at the established times before the walk (t0), at its end (t1), and after the run (t2), during the tests on both green and red routes. Note: The box-plot shows the minimum, the 5th and the 25th percentiles, the median, the 75th and 95th percentiles, and the maximum values for each variable investigated. The dot inside the box shows the mean value.

Figure 6

Box-plot of the concentration (expressed in pptv) of metabolic/oxidative stress-associated VOCs measured in the breath sample (n = 15 subjects) collected at the established times before the walk (t0), at its end (t1), and after the run (t2), during the tests on both green and red routes. Note: The box-plot shows the minimum, the 5th, and the 25th percentiles, the median, the 75th, and 95th percentiles, and the maximum values for each variable investigated. The dot inside the box shows the mean value.